European Union Film Festival 2024: Palme d'Or-nominated film La Chimera opens the festival

The 29th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) kicked off in New Delhi on Thursday (Nov 7) night, with the screening of the opening film Palme d'Or-nominated film La Chimerato a packed audience. The Italian film La Chimera, took the audience through an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, forests and cities, celebrations and solitudes as the intertwined destinies of characters unfolded, all in search of their Chimera.

This year's festival features 26 award-winning films in 31 languages, screening across three venues in New Delhi: India Habitat Centre, Instituto Cervantes, and Goethe Institute.

The Film Festival was opened by the Ambassador of the European Union to India Hervé Delphin along with the Italian actress Yile Yara Vianello, the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Andrea Anastasio, the Lithuanian director Tomas Vengris, and the cinephiles who waited for the entire year to watch the best of European cinema at the festival.

While introducing the opening film, Italian actress Yile Yara Vianello from the film La Chimera said, “So happy to be here in India with La Chimera as the opening movie at the EUFF! This film has had an incredible journey so far, consistently receiving a phenomenal response from audiences worldwide. It's exciting to be representing the film in India, a country that celebrates cinema. I'm energised by the enthusiasm here and want to thank everyone on behalf of the cast and crew for their warm welcome. We're excited to share our film with you!”

The opening ceremony was also attended by the Lithuanian Director, Tomas Vengris, who is travelling to the festival with his film Five And A Half Love Stories In An Apartment In Vilnius, Lithuania.

EUFF, which runs tillNovember 16, brings an eclectic mix of films that explore diverse themes from complex human relationships to gender identity to sisterhood, self-discovery, and more, offering audiences a window into Europe through stories that have universal appeal. Organised by the European Union, in collaboration with EU member states and regional partners, this festival is a testament to the strong diplomatic ties between the European Union and India, promoting cross-cultural understanding, artistic expression, and community building through the universal language of storytelling.

The biggest European film festival in India features films from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Showcasing the crème de la crème of contemporary European cinema, the festival also marks the India premiere of several European films, including, What A Feeling, Because I Love Bad Weather, Stairway To Heaven, Death is a Problem for the Living, Jim’s Story, Without Air, Black Velvet, The Last Ashes, Blood on the Crown, Baan, Horia and The Man Without Guilt.